A weekly summary of news from the syndicated newspaper/web column, The Canadian Report, by Jim Fox.

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Friday, October 30, 2015

Liberals plan to act on pledges are decisive election win

Canada column for Sunday, Oct. 25/15

THE CANADIAN REPORT

(c) By
Jim Fox

Canadian fighter jets will be called home, taxes for the rich will rise,
marijuana is to be legalized and Syrian refugees will be welcomed en masse as
promised under the new government of Liberal Prime Minister-elect Justin
Trudeau.

The son of the late Prime Minister Pierre Trudeau showed the
Conservatives and Prime Minister Stephen Harper that he was – despite their
attack ads – indeed “ready for the job.”

Electors made a decisive choice, giving the 43-year-old Trudeau a
sweeping majority government after only four years ago it ended in third place
in the federal election.

They sent the younger Trudeau back to 24 Sussex Drive, the prime
minister’s residence, where he grew up and made it the first father-son dynasty
in Canada’s history.

Standings in the House of Commons after the vote are Liberals 184 seats,
Conservatives, 99, the New Democrats, 44, Bloc Quebecois, 10, and Greens, 1.

The vote ended almost 10 years of Conservative rule under Harper who was
seen as controlling and not people-friendly – the opposite of Trudeau.

“Canadians
have spoken: You want a government with a vision and an agenda for this country
that is positive and ambitious and hopeful,” he said.

After the defeat, Harper resigned as Conservative leader but remains for
now an elected Member of Parliament in Calgary.

---

There’s still a chance of getting U.S. approval for the controversial
$8-billion Keystone XL oil pipeline, a retired TransCanada executive says.

That’s if the new Liberal government puts a price on carbon emissions to
persuade President Barack Obama to approve the cross-border pipeline, said
Dennis McConaghy, formerly of the pipeline company.

The project, which would deliver 830,000 barrels a day of mostly
oilsands crude to the U.S. Gulf Coast from Alberta, has been in limbo for seven
years.

Trudeau
supports the project but Obama said he will not allow the pipeline if it
worsens climate change.

---

News in brief:

- Wilfrid
Laurier University in Waterloo, which was “locked down” for five hours after an
Internet threat of violence, had a second threat on Friday. The school stayed
open this time but with extra police and security, and there were no incidents.
In the first threat, Daniel Ransem, 22, of Tottenham Hale, England, was arrested
for “malicious communications.”

-
Canada’s annual pace of inflation slowed last month to 1 percent with lower
gasoline and energy prices while the cost of groceries, restaurant meals and
many other goods were higher. Statistics Canada said the “significant
depreciation” of the Canadian dollar has made imports more expensive and kept
core inflation slightly above the Bank of Canada’s two percent target.

---

Facts and figures:

The Canadian dollar is lower at 75.93 cents U.S. while the U.S. dollar
returns $1.316 in Canadian funds, before bank exchange fees.

The Bank of Canada’s key interest rate remains at 0.5 percent while the
prime-lending rate is 2.7 percent.

Markets are mixed with the Toronto Stock Exchange index up at 13,952
points and the TSX Venture index down at 549 points.

The average price of gas has dropped to a national average of $1.019 a
liter or $3.87 (Canadian) for a U.S. gallon.

-
A British Columbia man who ran two “very sophisticated” but unlicensed
immigration consulting businesses in Vancouver has been sentenced to seven
years in prison and fined $817,000. Xun Wang, 46, of Richmond collected $10
million from 1,200 people for fraudulent immigration applications and fake
Chinese passports.

-
Step aside back bacon, poutine (fries drenched in gravy and melted cheese
curds) and Montreal smoked meat as official Canadian foods: here comes donairs.
In Halifax, known for seafood, councilor Linda Mosher wants the humble donair
to be designated the city’s official food. The sweet and savory meat treat is
closely related to the Greek gyro.